Employment discrimination

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is introducing basic criminal record checks for people in England & Wales. This replaces the service previously provided by Disclosure Scotland. This is a significant development for both people with criminal records and employers in England & Wales, so we’ve developed a new information page dedicated to basic DBS checks as

The latest blog by Christopher Stacey looks at whether the supermarket in EastEnders broke the law in doing a DBS on Derek? And why did a historic decriminalised offence show up on his disclosure? Read it here.

A criminal record at whatever age can be a real obstacle in getting on in life. But are there specific barriers that people face because of a criminal record that they got as a young adult? In the last couple of years, we’ve worked closely with the Standing Committee for Youth Justice to look at

The Conservative Party has included a commitment in their 2017 manifesto that aims to encourage and support employers to take on people with convictions. It states: “We will also work to help those groups who have in the past found it difficult to get employment, by incentivising employers to take them on. So for businesses

Press release: 3rd May 2017 Ruling gives hope to thousands of people trying to put their past behind them The Court of Appeal has today rejected the Government’s appeal to a decision of the High Court in January last year, which ruled that the criminal records disclosure scheme was disproportionate and unlawful. The judgment, handed down today, involves

As part of our Fair Access to Employment project we’re looking for examples of employers who have carried out inappropriate levels of criminal record checks. We’re gathering this information to feed into our legal strategy which aims to put an end to unlawful criminal record checks. We’re especially keen to hear from anyone who believes

Published by the Department for Work and Pensions in partnership with Business in the Community, the guide, Strengthening your workforce with talent from disadvantaged groups, comes after high demand from the business world for more help and support for employers to become inclusive. Part of the See Potential campaign, it’s already been welcomed by the

In a detailed report published today, the Law Commission has recommended a wider review of the criminal record disclosure system. In the most comprehensive operational assessment of the DBS filtering process to date, their conclusion is that: “Given the vast array and magnitude of the problems identified by our provisional assessment of the disclosure system

The leading charity for people with convictions has welcomed a report published today by the Work and Pensions Committee which calls on government to drastically improve the support provided to people released from prison and do more to encourage employers to recruit people with convictions. Christopher Stacey, Co-director of Unlock, said: “Today’s report shows that

We’re pleased to see that the Prisons Minister, Sam Gyimah, is developing an employment strategy and exploring ways to increase the number of employers giving opportunities to people with convictions. We’re keen to ensure that the strategy is informed by both people with convictions and employers, so we’ve written details about the opportunities for you

People with convictions play an important role in many charities, particularly those working in the criminal justice sector. Becoming a trustee or leading a charity as part of the senior management team are important roles that people with convictions should be encouraged to take on, and we know it can provide people with a positive

Unlock, the country’s leading charity for people with convictions, today launches a unique website to encourage and support companies to recruit people with criminal records. Over 10.5 million people in the UK have a criminal record and many face stigma and discrimination when applying for work, despite having put the past behind them. Unlock’s work